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DE RUEHCO #0080/01 0461240
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY AD21ED35 TOQ7572-695)
R 121057Z FEB 10 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0001
INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS COTONOU 000080 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION 
DEPT FOR AF/W, G/TIP, G-LAURA PENA INL, DRL, PRM, AF/RSA 
DEPT PLEASE PASS USAID 
PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF ELAB SMIG KTIP KCRM KFRD KWMN BN
SUBJECT: BENIN SUBMISSION FOR 2010 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 2094 
 
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SUMMARY 
 
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¶1. (SBU) The Government of Benin (GOB) continued to make steady 
progress towards combating child trafficking. The GOB provided to 
Post prosecution statistics for 2009 demonstrating good will to 
crack down on child trafficking. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) The National Child Protection Coordination and Monitoring 
Working Group (CNSCPE) established branches in the 12 provinces of 
Benin to engage local authorities in the fight against child 
trafficking and to better coordinate stakeholders' efforts at the 
community level. The CNSCPE continued to hold its quarterly 
sessions and to share information among stakeholders through its 
website. The GOB, with the support of UNICEF, strengthened its 
community referral mechanisms by setting up Local Committees to 
Combat Child Trafficking in three additional communes where the 
trafficking situation is serious. 
 
 
 
3.(SBU) On October 19, 2009, the government of Benin passed the 
three enabling decrees ("decrets d'application") which create 
administrative procedures for the travel of children domestically 
and internationally under Act No. 2006-04 relating to the 
Transportation of Minors and the Suppression of Child Trafficking 
in the Republic of Benin. The promulgation of these three decrees 
enables law enforcement agents to fully regulate the movement of 
minors in and out of Benin. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) The GOB maintained efforts to rescue and repatriate 
trafficking victims from other African countries and continued to 
provide protection and assistance to them. It also embarked in 
outreach campaigns to educate the population on trafficking and 
strengthened its regional cooperation through experience sharing 
and participation in international fora on human trafficking. 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) Embassy Cotonou's TIP POC is Christina Day, 
Political/Economic Officer, (229) 21-30-06-50, (229) 21-30-06-70 
(fax). The approximate number of hours spent on this report was the 
following: 
 
 
 
Political Assistant - 16 hours 
 
Political Officer -  2 hours 
 
Principal Officers - 5 hours 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) The points below correspond to the numbering/lettering in 
reftel. 
 
 
 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. BENIN'S TIP SITUATION (Reftel Para 25) 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶A. Information on trafficking in persons is provided through the 
Ministry of Family and National Solidarity; the Minors Protection 
Brigade (BPM) under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior 
and Public Security; and the Ministry of Justice, Legislation and 
 
Human Rights. The UNICEF sponsored National Policy and Strategy for 
Child Protection and National Survey on Child Trafficking, the 
2008-2012 National Plan to Combat Child Trafficking and Labor and 
the 2008 National Survey on Child Labor in Benin sponsored by the 
International Labor Organization's International Program for the 
Elimination of Child Labor also provide reliable information on 
child trafficking. The CNSCPE's website (www.cnscpe.net) offers 
information regarding child protection. National and International 
NGOs including Terre des Hommes, The Salesian Sisters, Enfants 
solidaires d'Afrique et du Monde (ESAM), UNICEF, ILO's 
International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC) 
are also good sources of information on trafficking. 
 
 
 
¶B. (SBU) Benin is a country of origin and transit for trafficked 
children.  Although previously categorized as a destination country 
for trafficked children, recent information from government and 
non-governmental sources indicates that the total number of foreign 
children trafficked to Benin does not appear to be significant. 
 
 
 
According to a draft 2005 ILO study (unpublished), 90 percent of 
Beninese children who are trafficked are trafficked internally.  Of 
the children trafficked externally, the majority go to Nigeria (60 
percent) with another contingent 20 percent going to Gabon. The 
existing statistics on the extent of the trafficking problem are 
approximate, since findings of surveys conducted so far are partial 
or focus on a particular region of the country. However, according 
to the UNICEF sponsored National Survey on Child Trafficking 
published by the Ministry of Family and National Solidarity in 
2007, the number of trafficked children aged 6-17 living in Benin 
during April-September 2006 was 40,317, representing 2 percent of 
the population of Beninese children of that age range. Ninety-two 
percent are victims of internal trafficking. Eighty-six percent of 
internal trafficking victims are girls. Ninety-three percent 
Beninese children are victims of internal trafficking. Victims of 
domestic labor exploitation account for 43 percent. Victims came 
from poor families, and the majority of them did not receive formal 
education or were school dropouts. They were mostly trafficked for 
domestic labor, vending, farming, and handicraft activities. 
 
 
 
According to the same survey, the following four main routes have 
been identified for child trafficking: 
Benin-Nigeria-Cameroon-Gabon; Benin-Nigeria-Gabon; 
Togo-Benin-Nigeria-Gabon; and Benin-Niger-Libya. Children are also 
trafficked to Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Congo and Guinea Bissau. 
Children were largely trafficked for labor (girls often to work as 
domestics in homes).  Children ages 6-17 were trafficked, though 
more than 40 percent of trafficked children were over the age of 
¶15.  Internal trafficking largely brings children from rural areas 
to the urban south of Benin. According to a study conducted in July 
2006 by Plan Benin, an international American NGO operating in 
Benin,  the first destination for internally trafficked children is 
Cotonou, the administrative capital city of Benin (53,3 percent) 
followed by Parakou (11 percent) and Porto-Novo (8,7 percent). The 
majority of externally trafficked children go to Nigeria (60,8 
percent), followed by Cote d'Ivoire (20 percent) and Gabon (4,4 
percent). 
 
 
 
¶C. (SBU) Child trafficking in Benin is driven by economic 
conditions, often with the traditional system of "vidomegon." 
Traditionally, vidomegon children are sent to live with richer 
relatives, usually in urban areas, to provide them with better 
opportunities (work, school, training, or more food).  This 
practice has led to labor exploitation and the vulnerability of 
young girls to increased sexual exploitation.  Parents who allow 
their children to be trafficked often believe it is an economic 
necessity or will provide a better life for their children. The 
employers of trafficking victims include farmers, traders, 
handicraftsmen, owners of small industries, and civil servants. 
Child trafficking is also driven by polygamy, illiteracy, forced 
marriage, non registration of birth, corruption, and HIV/AIDS. 
Children who are trafficked internationally are often transported 
by car or boat. 
 
¶D. (SBU) According to the 2007 UNICEF-sponsored National Survey on 
Child Trafficking, most internal trafficking victims are girls (89. 
7 percent). Transnational trafficking involves 48 percent of girls 
and 52 percent of boys. Children living in the northern regions of 
Benin are more vulnerable to trafficking. 
 
 
 
¶E. (SBU) Traffickers are often members of the community and/or 
relatives who live in that community where trafficking occurs. 
They may also be formerly trafficked children who have returned to 
their village and find work by trafficking other children. 
Traffickers may also belong to networks or well-organized groups. 
Trafficked children generally come from poor rural areas and are 
promised educational opportunities or other incentives. 
 
 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
¶8. THE GOVERNMENT OF BENIN'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS (Reftel Para 26) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
 
 
¶A. (SBU) The government acknowledges that child trafficking is a 
problem in Benin. 
 
 
 
¶B. (SBU) The Ministry of Family and National Solidarity is the lead 
agency for anti-trafficking efforts. The Ministry of Justice, 
Legislation and Human Rights and the Ministry of Interior and 
Public Security are also very involved. Other concerned ministries 
are the Ministry of Labor and Civil Service and the Ministry of 
Health. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, 
Francophonie and the Beninese Diaspora handles transnational 
trafficking cases. 
 
 
 
¶C. (SBU) Resource limitations remain a major obstacle for the 
government to address the problem of trafficking. Police officers 
and community leaders regularly complain they lack funds to buy 
essential resources, such as vehicle fuel, needed to investigate 
trafficking cases. 
 
 
 
Benin has only eight courts of first instance, where trafficking 
cases are heard, and the courts struggle to complete their yearly 
caseload.  This leads to extensive pre-trial detention in many 
cases and a lack of manpower to conduct thorough investigations. 
The Minors Protection Brigade, a specialized unit in the Ministry 
of the Interior that deals with children's issues, is a dynamic but 
small and under-funded unit. 
 
 
 
Resource limitations also prevent the government from taking a 
larger role in helping victims, though the government does have a 
referral system in place to ensure care for victims of trafficking 
by NGOs. 
 
 
 
¶D. (SBU) The government established the National Child Protection 
and Monitoring Working Group (CNSCPE) in 2006 to monitor its 
anti-trafficking efforts.  The government tasked the National 
Commission for Children's Rights and the National Commission for 
Human Rights, both part of the Ministry of Justice, with assessing 
anti-trafficking activities. In March 2008, the Government of Benin 
presented a comprehensive report on the activities it carried out 
to fight human trafficking in the framework of the ECOWAS Action 
Plan.  The Ministry of Justice periodically collects child 
trafficking statistics and delivers them to the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and the Benin Press Agency for circulation. The Minors 
Protection Brigade (BPM) has a new child trafficking database 
 
called "Enfants du Benin" (Benin's Children) that will help 
tracking and processing child trafficking cases. The BPM's data 
base is functional though further training of BPM's personnel is 
required before it can be used fully. The Observatoire de la 
Famille et de l'Enfant or OFFE (The Family and Child Monitoring 
Office) at the Ministry of Family and National Solidarity also 
maintains a database on child trafficking. In 2008, the EU 
Cooperation and Technical Assistance Bureau (BCAT) assisted the 
Ministry of Family and National Solidarity to create a website for 
the CNSCPE to centralize and disseminate comprehensive information 
on child protection. The CNSCPE issues a quarterly newsletter to 
provide stakeholders with information on activities that it carries 
out to advance child protection and welfare. 
 
 
 
¶E. Since 2007, the GOB has engaged in a countrywide effort to 
register births and issue birth certificates to all citizens, 
through the RAVEC or Recencement Administratif ???? Vocation Etat 
Civil (Administrative Census for Public Records). 
 
 
 
¶F.  With the exception of the BPM, police stations do not maintain 
data bases on child trafficking. Judicial personnel continue to 
record cases on paper, making compilation of prosecution data 
uncertain. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------ 
 
¶9. INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS (Reftel Para 27) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------------ 
 
 
 
¶A. (SBU) On April 5, 2006, on his first day in office, President 
Yayi signed into law Act No. 2006-04 relating to the Transportation 
of Minors and the Suppression of Child Trafficking in the Republic 
of Benin. The law contains a comprehensive definition of 
trafficking ("traite") and applies to children trafficked both 
internally and externally. It enumerates several types of 
prohibited exploitation including slavery, debt servitude, forced 
or obligatory labor, use of children in armed conflict, for organ 
donation, for prostitution, in pornography, for illegal activities, 
and for any work that is harmful to a child's safety, health, or 
well-being. It punishes traffickers and accomplices. The law 
reinforces an existing law stipulating that all children must have 
an identity document to enter Benin and specific written 
authorization to exit Benin if not accompanied by their parents. 
The law can punish transportation providers for not verifying for 
this documentation. 
 
 
 
On October 19, 2009, the government of Benin passed the three 
enabling decrees ("decrets d'application") which provide for the 
administrative procedures for the travel of children domestically 
and internationally under Act No. 2006-04 relating to the 
Transportation of Minors and the Suppression of Child Trafficking 
in the Republic of Benin. 
 
 
 
Parents who willingly transport their children for trafficking 
and/or give them to traffickers or aid traffickers somehow may 
receive a term of imprisonment of three months to five years. 
Anyone transporting a child within the country without appropriate 
documentation can be punished with six to eighteen months 
imprisonment and a 50,000 - 300,000 FCFA fine (USD 100 - 600). 
Illegally transporting a child outside Benin is punishable by one 
to three years imprisonment and a 500,000 - 1,500,000 FCFA fine 
(USD 1,000 - 3,000). 
 
 
 
Trafficking is punishable by ten to fifteen years imprisonment. 
Punishment increases to ten to twenty years if the trafficking is 
aggravated by fraud, abuse, violence, rape or other aggression, or 
if the child cannot be found before court's decision. If a 
 
trafficked child dies, the trafficker can receive life in prison. 
The law also punishes employers who are aware their employee is 
trafficked with three months to a year in prison and/or a FCFA 
200,000 - 1,000,000 fine (USD 400 - 2,000). Attempted trafficking 
carries the same punishment as trafficking. Subsequent offenses 
will double the applicable punishment, and accomplices are subject 
to the same penalties as traffickers. The child trafficking law 
does not cover adults who are trafficked, but there are existing 
laws against kidnapping that provide protection to adults. Other 
laws that cover child trafficking include the December 11, 1990 
Constitution of the Republic of Benin; the Penal Code; Act No 
98-004 on Labor in the Republic of Benin; Act No 2003-04 of April 
3, 2003 on Sexual and Reproductive Health; Act No 2003-03 of March 
2003 on the repression of Female Genital Mutilation; Act 2002-07 of 
June 14 on the Code of Persons and Family; Act 2006-19 of September 
5, 2006 related to the repression of Sexual Harassment and the 
Protection of Victims in the Republic of Benin. 
 
 
 
¶B. (SBU) Penalties for those who traffic children for sexual 
exploitation include ten to twenty years imprisonment. 
Additionally, individuals involved in child prostitution, including 
those who facilitate and solicit it, face imprisonment of two to 
five years and fines of 2000 USD to 20,000 USD (1,000,000 to 
10,000,000 FCFA).  Under the penal code those who facilitate adult 
prostitution and individuals who profit financially from adult 
prostitution, including traffickers and brothel owners, face 
penalties including imprisonment of six months to two years and 
fines of 800 USD to 8,000 USD (400,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA) depending 
on the severity of the offence. 
 
 
 
¶C. (SBU) Penalties for labor exploitation, the predominant reason 
for child trafficking in Benin, depend on aggravating factors. 
Exploiting children for labor can be prosecuted under different 
statues in Benin including the Constitution, the Family and Persons 
Code, the Penal Code, the Labor Code, the General Collective 
Convention on Labor, the Social Code, case law, and a wide range of 
other legislation and government decrees.  In addition to the 
penalties for child trafficking, those who engage in labor 
exploitation of adults and children may be prosecuted under the 
Labor Code.  The penalties for violations of the labor code include 
imprisonment of two months to one year and/or fines of 280 USD to 
700 USD (140,000 to 350,000 FCFA). 
 
 
 
¶D. (SBU) The penalty for rape is 1 - 5 years' incarceration, though 
the penalties can increase depending upon the age of the victim 
(the most severe penalties for children under the age of 13) and 
the extent of the assault. Many recent rape cases have received up 
to twenty years in prison, depending on the circumstances. 
 
 
 
¶E. (SBU) During 2009, the BPM handled a total of 58 child 
trafficking cases (child trafficking and illegal movement of minors 
out of Benin without parental authorization). The BPM brought to 
the court of Cotonou 17 perpetrators. [NOTE: These numbers do not 
include those made by other branches of the Beninese police force. 
Comprehensive arrest figures are not available. END NOTE]. On April 
7, 2009 in Porga, a village on the border with Burkina Faso, 
gendarmes arrested a ring of traffickers who attempted to cross the 
Benin-Burkina Faso border with five children destined for Cote 
d'Ivoire. The gendarmes brought the traffickers to the Court of 
Natitingou. 
 
 
 
The Ministry of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights reported that 
during the year the country's eight courts handled a total of 200 
child trafficking cases and related offenses including child 
abduction, corruption of minors (incitation de mineurs ???? la 
debauche), and ill-treatment. 155 cases are pending, 5 cases have 
been dismissed and 40 cases resulted in convictions. 
 
 
 
¶F. (SBU) In 2009 the GOB did not provide a specialized training for 
government officials on how to recognize, investigate and prosecute 
 
instances of trafficking. However, senior police officers are 
taught child trafficking issues as part of their training in the 
police academy. 
 
 
 
¶G. (SBU) The government cooperates with other governments on 
trafficking investigations and prosecutions. On June 9, 2005, Benin 
and Nigeria signed a Cooperation Agreement on the Prevention, 
Repression and Elimination of Trafficking in Persons (in particular 
women and children). The Joint Nigeria-Benin Committee to Combat 
Child Trafficking meets twice a year. In November 2008 the 
committee drafted a 2008-2009 Joint Action Plan on country response 
to trafficking in persons, particularly in Women and Children 
(sic), including a joint special plan of action to stop trafficking 
of children from Zakpota, Benin, to quarries in Abeokuta, Nigeria. 
According to Terre des Hommes, a Swiss NGO that takes the lead in 
the repatriation and shelter of Beninese victims from Abeokuta's 
quarries in Nigeria, the Beninese Ministry of Family, the BPM in 
conjunction with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic 
In Persons and Other Related Offences (NAPTIP) and the Beninese 
consulate in Nigeria repatriated 20 trafficked victims from August 
to December, 2009. 
 
 
 
Representatives from Benin and Nigeria's ministries of family and 
Interior along with UNICEF officials met in Zakpota, October 27 - 
29, 2009 to evaluate progress in implementing the joint 
Benin-Nigeria action plan. 
 
 
 
¶H. (SBU) Anecdotal evidence indicates that traffickers (for 
example, from Nigeria) intercepted at the border are handed over to 
the other country's authorities without a formal extradition 
process. However, under the June 2005 Benin - Nigeria cooperation 
agreement on child trafficking, a trafficker may either be 
prosecuted in the country where he/she is arrested or extradited to 
his/her country of origin. 
 
 
 
¶I. (SBU) There is no evidence of government involvement in 
trafficking, and tolerance among government officials for 
trafficking is being reduced. Many government officials were 
themselves vidomegon children, and are resistant to the idea that 
vidomegon is improper. An increasing number of local officials are 
becoming aware of the problems and hardships associated with 
trafficking and are differentiating the traditional practice of 
"vidomegon" from the crime of child trafficking. 
 
 
 
¶J. (SBU) No reports on arrests or prosecutions of government 
officials for trafficking in persons crimes have been made. 
 
 
 
¶K. (SBU) No accusations have been made that Beninese troops 
participating in international peacekeeping missions engaged in 
trafficking while deployed abroad. 
 
 
 
¶L. (SBU) Benin has no identified problem of child sex tourists 
coming to the country. However, there are reports that tourists 
visiting the Pendjari National Park in northern Benin employ 
underage prostitutes. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶10. PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS (Reftel Para 28) 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
 
 
¶A. (SBU) The Ministry of Family and National Solidarity, Ministry 
of Interior (Minors Protection Brigade), Ministry of Justice, 
 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various international donors and 
NGOs have developed a system to assist, repatriate, and reintegrate 
victims of child trafficking. The Minors Protection Brigade (BPM) 
generally takes initial custody of trafficked children who are 
already inside Benin. After an initial interview to ascertain if 
the child is a victim of trafficking, the victim is referred to a 
network of NGO shelters. The BPM brings charges against the 
traffickers if there is enough evidence, and the NGO works with the 
Ministry of Family and National Solidarity to reunite children with 
their families.  Each child is considered individually, and is not 
sent back to his/her community of origin until there is a suitable 
place for him/her to return (either back to school, into vocational 
training or an apprenticeship, or other "reinsertion").  The 
government also uses the Ministry of Family and Children's network 
of "Social Promotion Centers" (Centres de Promotion Social (CPS)) 
to provide basic social services in each of Benin's 77 communes, 
including for trafficking victims. Each commune (municipality) has 
its own center with a local representative and a social protection 
committee. 
 
 
 
¶B. (SBU) The Ministry of Family and National Solidarity 
collaborates closely with NGOs and other donors who provide 
services to child victims. Typically, the government refers 
children to NGO-run shelters. However, the Minors Protection 
Brigade has a government-built shelter on its premises in Cotonou 
that is fully equipped to handle up to 160 children (80 boys and 80 
girls). This is intended as a transit facility for recovered 
trafficking victims where children will stay while their cases are 
processed prior to placement in a long-term shelter. The BPM's 
Shelter (Centre d'Accueil et de Transit) became operational in May 
¶2007. It is temporarily staffed with 7 personnel provided by three 
local anti-child trafficking NGOs. During 2009, the BPM's shelter 
took in 941 children in difficult situations including trafficking 
victims. Trafficked children should not stay longer than one week 
but they will remain longer. However, the shelter often keeps 
victims beyond this limit of time before handing them over to NGO 
shelters for reintegration. The BPM's shelter offered victims 
legal, medical and psychological assistance. 
 
 
 
¶C. (SBU) The Ministry of Family and National Solidarity 
collaborates closely with NGOs and other donors that provide 
services to child victims. The Ministry of Family and National 
Solidarity is under-funded, but it has signed partnership 
agreements with international and local NGOs and facilitates their 
funding by donors. 
 
 
 
¶D. (SBU) The Government of Benin provides assistance to foreign 
trafficking victims (through the BPM and social welfare Centers) 
before proceeding with repatriation in their respective home 
countries. 
 
 
 
¶E. (SBU) (See paragraph A and B on services provided by the BPM and 
CPS) 
 
 
 
¶F. (SBU) The Ministry of Family and National Solidarity maintains a 
network of social welfare centers (CPS) at the municipal (commune) 
level, which provide assistance to the victims of child 
trafficking. A Ministry of Family and National Solidarity employee 
at the departmental level (each roughly equivalent to a province) 
supervises each center. 
 
 
 
¶G. (SBU) On November 13, 2009, the GOB in conjunction with the 
Government of Gabon and UNICEF arranged the repatriation to Benin 
of 28 trafficked Beninese children whom Gabonese security forces 
had rescued from a boat carrying clandestine immigrants off the 
coast of Libreville, Gabon.  During the year, in cooperation with 
the concerned countries, the brigade rescued 266 trafficking 
victims en route to and from Nigeria, Gabon, C????te d'Ivoire, Mali, 
and Togo. 
 
¶H. (SBU) The government does not have a mechanism for screening 
trafficking victims among commercial sex workers. 
 
 
 
¶I. (SBU) As noted above, most identified trafficking victims in 
Benin are children. The rights of these victims are respected, and 
they are not treated as criminals. 
 
 
 
¶J. (SBU) Victims are encouraged to assist investigation and 
prosecution of traffickers, but this is complicated by the fact 
that most victims are children. The protection of child victims is 
guaranteed during the judicial process. The Minors Protection 
Brigade reports it is sometimes unable to get all the facts in a 
case without subjecting victims to more trauma. Child trafficking 
victims do not take part in their trafficker's trial unless the 
judge requires it for a specific purpose. Parents and members of 
the community are reluctant to bring charges against traffickers. 
However, the government can prosecute traffickers without the 
consent of the parents or victimized child. There is no victim 
restitution program. 
 
 
 
¶K. (SBU) The government did not provide specialized training for 
its officials during the period covered by the report. (See 
paragraph F, Investigation and Prosecution). During the year, 
however, Beninese officials in charge of child protection, 
including the head of the BPM, participated in meetings and 
exchange programs on child trafficking in Burundi, Nigeria, Senegal 
and Israel. 
 
 
 
 
 
¶L. (SBU) The Ministry of Family and National Solidarity works with 
NGOs and donors to provide shelter and reintegrate victims of 
trafficking into their communities. For example, the Ministry (in 
conjunction with UNICEF) has a vocational school pilot program that 
trains children in a trade. The Ministry also tries to work with 
schools to reintegrate children, and maintains contact with the 
schools to follow up on children to prevent them from being 
trafficked again. 
 
 
 
The government works closely with civil society on trafficking 
issues. UNICEF takes the lead among international organizations and 
has a close working relationship with the government. The 
government relies heavily on and cooperates closely with NGOs to 
provide many services in the area of child trafficking. On October 
23, 2007, the EU launched a Cooperation and Technical Assistance 
Bureau (BCAT) consisting of 4 locally recruited employees and one 
expatriate worker. This bureau provides the Ministry of Family and 
National Solidarity with technical assistance in child protection 
through a 4-year action plan. Its objectives include strengthening 
the institutional capabilities of the ministry, coordinating with 
other actors involved in the fight against child trafficking, and 
assessing the government's progress in curbing trafficking. The 
government, in conjunction with the BCAT, continues to provide 
assistance to victims through the centers it has established in 
Cotonou, Parakou and Malanville to train victims and facilitate 
their social reintegration. In 2009, the government in conjunction 
with the BCAT started implementation of a second anti-child 
trafficking project that addresses the structural causes of child 
trafficking by improving children's living conditions and advancing 
respect for children's rights. 
 
 
 
¶M. (SBU) UNICEF, ILO, the European Union, DANIDA (Danish aid 
organization), the French Embassy, French Volunteers, Terre des 
Hommes, Silesian Sisters, Catholic Relief Services, World Education 
and a large group of other international and local organizations 
work with trafficking victims. They provide awareness campaigns, 
shelter, training, and other services to victims. Local NGOs are 
working successfully at the local level by enlisting the help of 
 
Parents' Associations in schools and community-level social 
protection committees mentioned above. 
 
 
 
--------------------------- 
 
¶11. PREVENTION (Question 29) 
 
--------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶A. (SBU) From October 2006 to December 2008, a total of 177,850 
people including transporters, members of Local Committees to 
combat child trafficking, teachers, local authorities, law 
enforcement agents, social workers and religious leaders were 
sensitized to trafficking through the USAID and UNICEF funded 
project "On Combating Child Trafficking through an integrated 
approach". The project targeted northern communities. The Office of 
Childhood and Adolescence at the Ministry of Family coordinated 
this effort. In 2009, the Ministry of Family, with the support of 
UNICEF, established 142 new Local Committees to Combat Child 
Trafficking to enable community surveillance in Lalo (south Benin), 
Materi and Copargo (north Benin), increasing the total number of 
local committees to 1690 since this effort started in 2005. GOB 
authorities undertook periodic, coordinated awareness campaigns on 
child trafficking across the Benin-Nigeria border, especially in 
Seme Kpodji, Ifangni and Djregbe in Benin and Krake, Owode and 
Idiroko in Nigeria.  The GOB also coordinated a nationwide 
awareness campaign as a key activity for the 2009 World Day of 
Action Against Child Labor. 
 
 
 
¶B. (SBU) Agents of the Minors Protection Brigade screen travelers 
at Benin's border crossings. Border agents and gendarmes monitor 
the borders for trafficking victims and have had success in 
arresting traffickers and returning trafficked children. They also 
rely on community whistleblowers to draw their attention to cases 
involving the transportation of children along border routes. 
 
 
 
¶C. (SBU). There is a mechanism to coordinate and facilitate 
communication between the various actors on child trafficking 
related matters. By a presidential directive dated March 15, 2006 
(order No 503/MFPSS/SGM/SPEA/SA), the (then) Ministry of Family and 
Children put in place a National Child Protection and Monitoring 
Working Group (CNSCPE). This body, which meets quarterly and is 
made up of representatives from government agencies, national and 
international NGOs, and development partners, is tasked with 
consolidating information related to child protection, assuring the 
coordination and monitoring of stakeholder activities, and working 
out solutions for problems stakeholders encounter in the field. The 
task force established four technical committees to study specific 
issues regarding child protection: "Trafficking and Exploitation", 
"Juvenile Justice", "Violence and Harmful Practices Affecting 
Children" and, "Orphans and Vulnerable Children". In addition to 
preparing terms of reference and annual work plans, committee 
members meet quarterly to discuss specific issues pertaining to 
their areas of responsibility. The government's Monitoring Group to 
Combat Corruption (OLC) serves as a public corruption task force. 
It has a National Strategic Plan to Combat Corruption intended for 
government officials, NGOs, and ordinary citizens. 
 
 
 
¶D. (SBU) The government completed the UNICEF sponsored National 
Policy and Strategy for Child Protection in October 2007. The 
2008-2012 National Plan to Combat Child Trafficking and Labor, 
funded by the ILO's International Program for the Elimination of 
Child Labor has been completed. In 2007, the government also 
released a Children's Code that consolidates legislation and 
decrees pertaining to child welfare. The code defines the legal 
framework to protect children in the criminal, social, and 
administrative arenas.  The measures defined in the code also 
address issues including children's social reintegration, 
repatriation, rehabilitation, and vocational training. 
 
¶E. (SBU) Non applicable 
 
 
 
¶F. In April 2009, the government, UNICEF and Ecobank, a major 
regional bank, launched a seven-day awareness campaign against sex 
tourism involving children aged 8-17. The campaign covered several 
tourist sites across Benin. 
 
 
 
¶G. (SBU) Beninese troops deployed abroad as part of UN peacekeeping 
missions are trained through the Department of State's Africa 
Contingency Operations Training Assistance (ACOTA) program. The 
training addresses prevention of peacekeepers involvement in 
trafficking and exploitation. 
 
 
 
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¶12. PARTNERSHIPS (Question 30) 
 
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¶A. (SBU) To fight child trafficking, the GOB engages with a large 
group of multilateral organizations and international and national 
NGOs including UNICEF, ILO, the European Union, DANIDA, the French 
Embassy, French Volunteers, Terre des Hommes, Silesian Sisters, 
Catholic Relief Services, World Education, CARE, PLAN-Benin, the 
Red Cross, and BORNfonden. The GOB benefits from these 
organizations' financial and technical support to carry out anti- 
child-trafficking activities. 
 
 
 
¶B. (SBU) The GOB provides assistance to other African countries as 
part of the multilateral cooperation agreements it has signed with 
those African countries regarding victims' repatriation and 
information sharing on child trafficking. 
KNIGHT